Google spin-off Waymo launches driverless taxi service

Self-driving cars with no human backup driver, will then be introduced
Self-driving cars with no human backup driver, will then be introduced

Google's self-driving car project has announced a driverless commercial taxi service.

Early users of Waymo's autonomous taxi programme in Phoenix, Arizona, will now be able to call cars through an app, the company said on Wednesday. 

Waymo, which is now part of Google's parent company Alphabet, then plans to roll out the service, known as Waymo One, to more members of the public in several cities in the Phoenix area.

The move is in line with the company's previously stated expectation to launch a commercial service before the end of the year, though it is moving more slowly than many had expected, with the new taxi service initially including backup drivers. 

The drivers will be there at first "to supervise our vehicles for riders' comfort and convenience", Waymo said. 

Self-driving cars with no human backup driver, will then be introduced "gradually" over time to the commercial service, the company said.

Reports from earlier this year had cast doubt on the timetable, with locals expressing frustration about the cars' hesitant driving style.

Some early riders have been using cars with no human driver in Arizona, and Waymo also gained permission to test the cars with no driver in California earlier this year. 

Until now, early riders had been able to use the cars for free, with the cars beginning to suggest sample prices earlier this year in order to get feedback from the volunteers. 

The app, which appears similar to software used by mobile-based taxi services such as Lyft and Uber, shows passengers where they will be picked up and dropped off by the car, as well as pricing information. 

In-car screens also show the route the taxi will take, along with an estimated time of arrival, and information including the speed limit in the area and the location of other cars and pedestrians on the road. 

The app also allows passengers to contact the company to ask questions about things like changing their destination.